Eric Conard chides me for not covering German naming practices and
noting that Quakers used middle names earlier than Anglicans.

Please note that my comments about naming apply to ENGLISH colonists
in VIRGINIA, the topic of the query. German, French, Dutch, and
Spanish colonists followed the practices of their home countries.
Catholic Irish (of whom there were very few in Virginia before the
19th century) also differed slightly, sometimes using saints' names
instead of or in addition to English forenames. Anglican Irish used
the English style and often Anglicized traditional Irish names (e.g.,
Teige into Thaddeus and Donough into Dennis).

There were very few Puritans in Virginia; their naming practices in
New England (and old England) are distinctive and vary somewhat from
Anglican norms. Several excellent articles on Puritan names exist. (I
don't have references handy, but a Google search should provide
them for anyone interested in pursuing the matter further.)

Quakers in general followed the Anglican practice, but they too had
their own distinct habits. Quakers settled principally in
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey, not Virginia.

Kathleen Much

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